

Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons Podcast
Carey Parker
A Podcast on Computer Security & Privacy for Non-Techies
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jul 28, 2025 • 1h 19min
Physical Phone Security
Explore how our phones, essential in daily life, can compromise personal data if physically accessed. Discover new iOS and Android features that bolster your phone’s security. Learn about the surge in VPN usage in the UK spurred by privacy concerns following new regulations. Dive into the ethics of data privacy in dating apps and examine ways to minimize your digital footprint amidst rising surveillance. Also, gain insights on AI's role in privacy and the importance of making informed choices for protecting your personal information.

Jul 21, 2025 • 1h 10min
Passport, Lawyer, Locksmith
We talk a lot about digital or online security. Today we’re going to focus on physical security and the general ethos of “be prepared”. There are many situations in life when you will find yourself wishing you had had the foresight to acquire certain things or establish certain professional relationships before you actually needed them. Deviant Ollam is a physical penetration specialist. His job is to find and fix weaknesses in physical things… buildings, locks, safes, etc. And along the way he has learned some important lessons for all of us. Today he will share his wisdom with us.
Interview Notes
Deviant’s website: https://deviating.net/
Lawyer,Passport, Locksmith, Gun talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ihrGNGesfI
Attacking Classified Safes & Vaults: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Z_Jv7vuiqg
Red Team Alliance: https://shop.redteamalliance.com/
Red Team Tools: https://www.redteamtools.com/
CackalackyCon: https://www.cackalackycon.org/
Shut the F**k Up PSA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWEpW6KOZDs
Home lock – Schlage Primus: https://commercial.schlage.com/en/products/key-systems/primus-security-upgrade.html
Padlock – Pacific Lock (PACLOCK): https://paclock.com/
Further Info
My book: https://fdsd.me/book
My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter
Support the mission: https://fdsd.me/support
Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons
Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch
Table of Contents
0:00:00: Intro
0:04:27: What is a physical entry specialist?
0:08:47: How would you describe the prepper ethos?
0:12:21: What are common mistakes for disaster prep?
0:15:52: What should everyone have a passport?
0:20:32: Why should everyone have an established lawyer?
0:28:55: What other professionals should I have at the ready?
0:34:09: What locks should I use or avoid?
0:40:39: Do any movies and TV shows portray lock picking correctly?
0:43:36: What is ‘responsible disclosure’ like for physical vulnerabilities?
0:47:44: Do you tell companies when you stumble on physical vulnerabilities?
0:51:41: What documents should we have physical copies of?
0:55:27: If I’m politically active, how can I minimize my digital footprint?
0:59:10: Why should we use secure, private communications?
1:02:34: What’s next for you?
1:06:05: Wrap-up
1:08:45: Patron podcast preview

Jul 14, 2025 • 1h 4min
Freezing Your Mobile Account
Your cell phone number uniquely identifies you. Many companies rely on this 1-to-1 relationship to authenticate you to their systems. So if someone were to somehow manage to steal your mobile phone number – a hack called SIM swapping – they could use that to impersonate you and compromise any of your accounts that are validated via SMS or phone call. There’s a new tool to combat this scam that’s better than the old-style account PIN codes. I’ll explain how it works.
In the news: many Brother printers have serious cyber vulnerabilities; Belkin in abandoning Wemo smart devices next January; Xfinity’s WiFi routers can detect motion in your entire home; Bluesky is rolling out age verification in the UK; California is using drones to catch the use of illegal fireworks; McDonald’s AI hiring bot was hacked to expose millions of applicants’ data; Mexican drug cartel hacked FBI phone to catch informants; US strikes blow against North Korean fake worker scams; Denmark is looking to ditch Microsoft products.
Article Links
New Vulnerabilities Expose Millions of Brother Printers to Hacking https://www.securityweek.com/new-vulnerabilities-expose-millions-of-brother-printers-to-hacking/
Belkin pulls the plug on Wemo smart home products which will stop working in 2026 https://9to5google.com/2025/07/10/belkin-wemo-smart-home-shutdown-list/
Using WiFi Motion in the Xfinity app https://www.xfinity.com/support/articles/wifi-motion
Bluesky is rolling out age verification in the UK https://www.theverge.com/news/704468/bluesky-age-verification-uk-online-safety-act
Huge fines coming for Californians caught by drone with illegal fireworks https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/california-drones-illegal-fireworks-20629637.php
McDonald’s AI Hiring Bot Exposed Millions of Applicants’ Data https://www.wired.com/story/mcdonalds-ai-hiring-chat-bot-paradoxai/
Drug cartel hacked FBI official’s phone to track and kill informants https://arstechnica.com/security/2025/06/mexican-drug-cartel-hacked-fbi-officials-phone-to-track-informant-report-says/
Identities of More Than 80 Americans Stolen for North Korean IT Worker Scams https://www.wired.com/story/identities-of-80-plus-americans-stolen-for-north-korean-it-worker-scams/
Why Denmark is dumping Microsoft Office and Windows for LibreOffice and Linux https://www.zdnet.com/article/why-denmark-is-dumping-microsoft-office-and-windows-for-libreoffice-and-linux/
Tip of the Week: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/freezing-your-mobile-account/
Further Info
Tom’s Hardware on WiFi Motion: https://www.tomshardware.com/networking/routers/new-xfinity-router-motion-detecting-feature-stokes-privacy-fears-feature-powered-by-wi-fi-signals
RockYou password list: https://cybernews.com/security/rockyou2024-largest-password-compilation-leak/
LibreOffice: https://www.libreoffice.org/discover/libreoffice/
Eurostack: https://eurostack.eu/
Running Linux in a VM on Windows: https://itsfoss.com/install-linux-mint-in-virtualbox/
Age verification: https://www.privacyguides.org/articles/2025/05/06/age-verification-wants-your-face/
My book: https://fdsd.me/book
My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter
Support our mission! https://fdsd.me/support
Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons
Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch
Table of Contents
0:00:00: Intro
0:00:17: DEF CON coming up fast
0:03:34: News preview
0:06:31: New Vulnerabilities Expose Millions of Brother Printers to Hacking
0:11:51: Belkin pulls the plug on Wemo smart home products
0:14:25: Using WiFi Motion in the Xfinity app
0:21:19: Bluesky is rolling out age verification in the UK
0:26:49: Huge fines coming for Californians caught by drone with illegal fireworks
0:29:36: McDonald’s AI Hiring Bot Exposed Millions of Applicants’ Data
0:35:31: Drug cartel hacked FBI official’s phone to track and kill informants
0:39:54: Identities of More Than 80 Americans Stolen for North Korean IT Worker Scams
0:48:33: Why Denmark is dumping Microsoft Office and Windows for LibreOffice and Linux
0:55:48: Tip of the Week
1:01:37: Merch reminder
1:02:12: Patron podcast preview
1:02:45: Looking ahead

Jul 7, 2025 • 1h 10min
Defending Student Privacy
Privacy risks are bad enough for adults – but it’s much worse for our kids, particularly as students. Who provides notice and obtains consent for minors at school? In many cases it’s not the parents, let alone the students – it’s the school system. Not only are they opting the students into invasive data collection by profit-driven third parties, but they often also bind them to mandatory arbitration clauses, neutering their ability to seek legal redress for the inevitable violations. Today I’ll discuss this horrid state of affairs with someone who is on the front lines of this battle for our children’s right to privacy: co-founder of the EdTech Law Center, Andy Liddell.
Interview Notes
EdTech Law Center: https://edtech.law/about-us/
EdTech current cases: https://edtech.law/cases/
Internet Safety Labs: https://internetsafetylabs.org/
The Right to Oblivion (book): https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674260528
ACLU, Digital Dystopia: https://www.aclu.org/publications/digital-dystopia-the-danger-in-buying-what-the-edtech-surveillance-industry-is-selling
The Markup, College Prep Software Naviance Is Selling Advertising Access to Millions of Students: https://themarkup.org/machine-learning/2022/01/13/college-prep-software-naviance-is-selling-advertising-access-to-millions-of-students
Proton blog on EdTech and privacy: https://proton.me/blog/ed-tech-trackers
Further Info
My book: https://fdsd.me/book
My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter
Support the mission: https://fdsd.me/support
Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons
Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch
Table of Contents
0:00:00: Intro
0:02:48: What’s your mission at the EdTech Law Center?
0:05:20: What are the unique privacy threats for students?
0:09:46: What privacy laws are there for minors?
0:12:05: How are these laws enforced and litigated?
0:18:21: How does notice and consent work for students?
0:27:05: What rights do the kids have in these situations?
0:29:38: How are these EdTech companies?
0:31:40: Which apps and tools are most problematic and why?
0:37:20: Should minors’s data be deleted when they reach adulthood?
0:40:15: Are school systems equipped to understand these contracts?
0:42:35: What about privacy issues with EdTech hardware?
0:45:50: What have we already learned via discovery or reporting?
0:50:01: As a parent, who do I talk to about my child’s privacy risks at school?
0:54:16: What are some red flags to look out for?
0:57:10: What responsibilities do school systems have here?
1:00:57: So what can we do? When should we reach out to you?
1:05:02: Interview follow-up
1:06:26: Patron podcast preview
1:07:19: Looking ahead

10 snips
Jun 30, 2025 • 1h 12min
The In-App Switcheroo
Discover how mobile apps might be compromising your privacy through in-app browsers that track and serve ads. Delve into the alarming privacy pitfalls of the Meta AI app and new developments involving 23andMe's data handling. Learn about Amazon and Roku's ad-sharing collaboration, along with rising government surveillance tactics. Explore crucial security updates for Windows 10 and Android 16, and hear about Denmark's proposals on AI-generated deep fakes. Empower yourself with actionable steps to better protect your data!

Jun 23, 2025 • 1h 11min
ShmooCon: Moose You Already
On January 12th, 2025, the ShmooCon hacker conference held it’s 20th and final gathering. I was lucky enough to be able to not only attend the final show but also to interview the founders, Heidi and Bruce Potter. We talk about how it all got started, what made this hacker con so special and beloved, and hear some hilarious stories from the past twenty years of hacker shenanigans in Washington D.C.
Interview Notes
ShmooCon: https://www.shmoocon.org/
ShmooCon 2025 sessions: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnKSfJ5rXw95HSPVl5L7dqhKpVAx3q_j0
Turngate: https://www.turngate.io/
HOPE conference: https://www.hope.net/
BSides: https://bsides.org/
Cackalackycon: https://cackalackycon.org/
Thotcon: https://www.thotcon.org/
SummerCon: https://www.summercon.org/
PancakesCon: https://pancakescon.com/
Further Info
My book: https://fdsd.me/book
My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter
Support the mission: https://fdsd.me/support
Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons
Recommend news stories: send to news [at] firewallsdontstopdragons.com
Send me your questions! https://fdsd.me/qna
Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch
Table of Contents
0:00:00: Intro
0:03:43: How and why did you start ShmooCon?
0:11:05: Why are hacker conferences so different from regular trade shows?
0:17:19: Why limit attendence and how did this give rise to LobbyCon?
0:21:52: What makes a good con? What’s your post-con recovery like?
0:27:26: Why did you decide to end the con?
0:29:54: How have other cons influenced ShmooCon?
0:33:16: Why is it important to be so transparent about your con?
0:37:38: What are your favorite ShmooCon stories?
0:44:54: What’s it like running a conference as a married couple?
0:49:39: What are you most proud of with ShmooCon?
0:52:13: Was there anything you wish you had done but didn’t?
0:56:07: Did you ever consider handing ShmooCon off to someone else?
0:58:13: So what now?
1:00:58: What are some ShmooCon alternatives?
1:06:36: Wrap-up
1:08:07: Attend a hacker con!
1:09:35: Patron bonus preview
1:10:24: Looking ahead

Jun 16, 2025 • 1h 1min
Rogue AI?
Artificial Intelligence is taking over. But I don’t mean that in a Skynet kinda way. It’s simply becoming ubiquitous because companies are insisting on inserting the technology into all their products, even if it’s not useful – or not even safe. Unfortunately, the breathless reporting on dangers of AI is also getting way out of hand, including stories of AI systems ‘blackmailing’ their designers. Today I’ll try to bring us back to reality a bit.
Also in the news: Billions of session login cookies up for grabs; Meta and Yandex cheat in order to track you around the web; Qualcomm fixes three zero-day bugs being actively exploited; Apple releases transparency report on push notification data requests; LAPD using Waymo for gathering video evidence; another massive AT&T user data leak includes SSNs; AI system appears to try to blackmail its owner; judge grants preliminary injunction on DOGE data grab; and we’ll check in on your 2025 New Year’s Resolutions!
Article Links
[theregister.com] Billions of cookies up for grabs as experts warn over session security https://www.theregister.com/2025/05/29/billions_of_cookies_available/
[arstechnica.com] Meta and Yandex are de-anonymizing Android users’ web browsing identifiers https://arstechnica.com/security/2025/06/meta-and-yandex-are-de-anonymizing-android-users-web-browsing-identifiers/
More info: https://www.zeropartydata.es/p/localhost-tracking-explained-it-could
[techcrunch.com] Phone chipmaker Qualcomm fixes three zero-days exploited by hackers https://techcrunch.com/2025/06/03/phone-chipmaker-qualcomm-fixes-three-zero-days-exploited-by-hackers/
[404media.co] Apple Gave Governments Data on Thousands of Push Notifications https://www.404media.co/apple-gave-governments-data-on-thousands-of-push-notifications/
[404media.co] LAPD Publishes Crime Footage It Got From a Waymo Driverless Car https://www.404media.co/lapd-publishes-crime-footage-it-got-from-a-waymo-driverless-car/
[cyberinsider.com] AT&T Investigating New Leak of 86 Million Customer Records with Decrypted SSNs https://cyberinsider.com/att-investigating-new-leak-of-86-million-customer-records-with-decrypted-ssns/
[bbc.com] AI system resorts to blackmail if told it will be removed https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpqeng9d20go
[eff.org] Privacy Victory! Judge Grants Preliminary Injunction in OPM/DOGE Lawsuit https://www.eff.org/press/releases/privacy-victory-judge-grants-preliminary-injunction-opmdoge-lawsuit
Tip of the Week: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2025-resolutions-check-in/
Further Info
2025 New Year’s Resolutions: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/new-years-resolutions-2025/
Privacy Guides: https://www.privacyguides.org/articles/
EFF’s Rayhunter project: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/03/meet-rayhunter-new-open-source-tool-eff-detect-cellular-spying
My book: https://fdsd.me/book
My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter
Support our mission! https://fdsd.me/support
Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons
Send me your questions! https://fdsd.me/qna
Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch
Table of Contents
0:00:00: Intro
0:00:50: A note on protest privacy
0:04:32: News preview
0:06:43: Billions of cookies up for grabs as experts warn over session security
0:18:27: Meta and Yandex are de-anonymizing Android users’ web browsing identifiers
0:25:59: Phone chipmaker Qualcomm fixes three zero-days exploited by hackers
0:27:51: Apple Gave Governments Data on Thousands of Push Notifications
0:33:25: LAPD Publishes Crime Footage It Got From a Waymo Driverless Car
0:37:39: AT&T Investigating New Leak of 86 Million Customer Records with Decrypted SSNs
0:41:51: AI system resorts to blackmail if told it will be removed
0:51:40: Privacy Victory! Judge Grants Preliminary Injunction in OPM/DOGE Lawsuit
0:56:04: Tip of the Week
0:58:13: Wrapup
0:58:30: Merlin’s Musings preview
0:59:10: Looking ahead

Jun 9, 2025 • 1h 3min
Dialog with the Data Diva
Debbie Reynolds (aka, The Data Diva) has been working in the privacy realm for many years, as a privacy consultant, speaker, advisor and podcaster. She and I have been running in the same circles on LinkedIn for a while now, and we finally decided it was time to be a guest on each other’s shows. Today Debbie and I will discuss the dangers of privacy in the realm of IoT devices (including her contributions on the US Department of Commerce’s IoT Advisory Board), vehicles, and AI. I’ll ask about her experiences advising corporations on privacy issues with emerging technologies and how she advocates for less data gathering and more transparency.
Interview Notes
Debbie Reynolds consulting: https://www.debbiereynoldsconsulting.com/
Data Diva podcast: https://www.debbiereynoldsconsulting.com/podcast
My interview on Debbie’s podcast: https://www.debbiereynoldsconsulting.com/podcast/e228-carey-parker
The Right to Privacy book (1995): https://www.amazon.com/Right-Privacy-Caroline-Kennedy/dp/0679419861
IoT Advisory Board report: https://www.debbiereynoldsconsulting.com/iot-advisory-board
Shodan search: https://www.shodan.io/
Further Info
My book: https://fdsd.me/book
My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter
Support the mission: https://fdsd.me/support
Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons
Send me your questions! https://fdsd.me/qna
Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch
Table of Contents
0:00:00: Intro
0:01:27: During your privacy career, how have privacy changed?
0:05:59: How do you define privacy?
0:08:51: What were your contributions on the IoT Advisory Board?
0:12:54: Who was the primary audience for that report?
0:15:49: Which IoT devices have the worst privacy?
0:19:33: How bad are modern cars in terms of privacy?
0:29:50: How does AI threaten our privacy today?
0:33:30: How can we mitigate AI privacy risks?
0:40:11: How can we convince companies to truly embrace user privacy?
0:45:36: What are some of the biggest privacy mistakes companies make?
0:49:34: Why can’t we have a global tracking opt-out signal?
0:53:52: What can we learn from the EU’s GDPR?
0:58:35: So what can we do to improve our privacy?
1:00:50: Patron preview
1:01:21: Looking ahead

Jun 2, 2025 • 1h 26min
Life in the Panopticon
Tracking our faces and whereabouts is getting out of control. It’s a mass surveillance infrastructure that keeps growing in Borg-like fashion. Facial recognition and license plate readers are proliferating at a stupefying pace and companies like Flock are consolidating the collected data and packaging it up for sale to law enforcement agencies. Even if no human in these agencies were to abuse this data, it’s creating an irresistible target for scheming hackers and nation states keen on espionage. The longer we let this go, the harder it will be to stop.
In today’s news: Asus routers are being hacked and you need to take action; 23andMe has been sold, along with its users’ genetic data; AI-generated videos have just become way more realistic; US government taps surveillance company to centralize all its citizen data; CFPB regulation limiting data brokers is axed; Kroger is packaging and selling its customer loyalty data; automated license plate reader data use is expanding in scary ways; Android phones gain key new security feature; EU court rules that real-time bidding data gathering is illegal; Montana is first state to plug data broker loophole; and I relate my recent privacy experience at the US border.
Article Links
[LifeHacker.com] If You Have an Asus Router, You Need to Check If It’s Been Hacked https://lifehacker.com/tech/asus-routers-hacked
[404media.co] 23andMe Sale Shows Your Genetic Data Is Worth $17 https://www.404media.co/23andme-sale-shows-your-genetic-data-is-worth-17/
[lifehacker.com] You Are Not Prepared for This Terrifying New Wave of AI-Generated Videos https://lifehacker.com/tech/you-are-not-prepared-for-this-new-wave-of-ai-generated-videos
[nytimes.com] Trump Taps Palantir to Compile Data on Americans https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/30/technology/trump-palantir-data-americans.html
[techcrunch.com] White House scraps plan to block data brokers from selling Americans’ sensitive data https://techcrunch.com/2025/05/14/white-house-scraps-plan-to-block-data-brokers-from-selling-americans-sensitive-data/
[therecord.media] Consumer Reports: Kroger using loyalty program to package, sell customer data https://therecord.media/kroger-using-loyalty-program-to-sell-customer-data
[404media.co] A Texas Cop Searched License Plate Cameras Nationwide for a Woman Who Got an Abortion https://www.404media.co/a-texas-cop-searched-license-plate-cameras-nationwide-for-a-woman-who-got-an-abortion/
[404media.co] License Plate Reader Company Flock Is Building a Massive People Lookup Tool, Leak Shows https://www.404media.co/license-plate-reader-company-flock-is-building-a-massive-people-lookup-tool-leak-shows/
[arstechnica.com] Android phones will soon reboot themselves after sitting unused for 3 days https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/04/android-phones-will-soon-reboot-themselves-after-sitting-unused-for-3-days/
[signal.org] By Default, Signal Doesn’t Recall https://signal.org/blog/signal-doesnt-recall/
[therecord.media] EU court rules that tracking-based online ads are illegal https://therecord.media/eu-court-rules-tracking-based-ads-illegal
[eff.org] Montana Becomes First State to Close the Law Enforcement Data Broker Loophole https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/05/montana-becomes-first-state-close-law-enforcement-data-broker-loophole
Tip of the Week: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/border-insecurity-update/
The Atlantic: How to Disappear https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/05/extreme-personal-data-privacy-protection/682867/
BADBOOL data removal service list: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/115L6LpQg_UX638IyUfdwGhRS7dIU3lKwz6fjAcDtE-0/edit?gid=0#gid=0
Further Info
My book: https://fdsd.me/book
My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter
Support our mission! https://fdsd.me/support
Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons
Recommend news stories: send to news [at] firewallsdontstopdragons.com
Send me your questions! https://fdsd.me/qna
Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch
Table of Contents
0:00:00: Intro
0:01:50: Josh Corman interview promotion
0:03:04: How to Disappear
0:03:49: News rundown
0:07:32: If You Have an Asus Router, You Need to Check If It’s Been Hacked
0:19:01: 23andMe Sale Shows Your Genetic Data Is Worth $17
0:23:22: You Are Not Prepared for This Terrifying New Wave of AI-Generated Videos
0:28:42: Trump Taps Palantir to Compile Data on Americans
0:35:04: White House scraps plan to block data brokers from selling Americans’ sensitive data
0:38:08: Kroger using loyalty program to package, sell customer data
0:46:23: A Texas Cop Searched License Plate Cameras Nationwide for a Woman Who Got an Abortion
0:49:43: License Plate Reader Company Flock Is Building a Massive People Lookup Tool
0:55:15: Android phones will soon reboot themselves after sitting unused for 3 days
0:59:25: By Default, Signal Doesn’t Recall
1:03:13: EU court rules that tracking-based online ads are illegal
1:06:07: Montana Becomes First State to Close the Law Enforcement Data Broker Loophole
1:09:28: Tip of the Week: my border experience
1:22:30: Wrap up
1:24:10: Patron podcast preview
1:24:39: Looking ahead

May 26, 2025 • 1h 10min
Dividing Trust
VPNs were not invented for privacy, despite the name – they were invented for security. Nevertheless, in recent years, they have been touted as privacy tools to thwart rampant and fanatical data gathering. With a regular VPN, this really just means you’re shifting your trust from your internet service provider to your VPN provider. But what if your encrypted data traffic was actually divided between two separate companies? The split trust model is a powerful way to protect your privacy and it’s the key technology behind new services like Apple’s Private Relay and Obscura VPN. Today we’ll discuss the benefits of this approach with Obscura’s founder, Carl Dong.
Interview Notes
Obscura VPN: https://obscura.net/
Wireguard: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WireGuard
Obscura Wireguard configuration tool: https://obscura.net/#faq-wireguard-config
QUIC explainer video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnDsMehSSY4
Masque: https://datatracker.ietf.org/wg/masque/about/
Privacy Pass: https://privacypass.github.io/
Anubis: https://anubis.techaro.lol/docs/design/how-anubis-works/
How Onion Routing Works: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/how-onion-routing-works/
Further Info
My book: https://fdsd.me/book
My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter
Support the mission: https://fdsd.me/support
Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons
Recommend news stories: send to news [at] firewallsdontstopdragons.com
Send me your questions! https://fdsd.me/qna
Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch
Table of Contents
0:00:00: Intro
0:01:16: Interview setup
0:04:46: Lingo definitions
0:09:48: Why do we need yet another VPN?
0:15:00: How does Obscura differ from Apple Private Relay and Tor?
0:21:59: How little info can you give to set up an Obscura account?
0:25:33: What is the Bitcoin Lightning Network?
0:27:30: How can we know how much logging a VPN provider is doing?
0:35:04: Does Obscura have the same quirks as regular VPNs?
0:42:10: How vulnerable are you to being taken down by governments?
0:46:11: What are the core technologies in Obscura?
0:50:49: What do you think about Safing’s IP-per-connection idea?
0:54:00: Are you planning to expand your partner VPNs?
0:56:41: How does Obscura handle the TunnelVision problem?
0:59:57: What is the roadmap for supporting other operating systems?
1:03:14: What’s next for Obscura?
1:04:32: Interview wrap-up
1:09:19: Patron podcast preview
1:09:50: Looking ahead